Can I extend after marrying a German National?

2020-11-08T18:58:59-05:00

I will soon be marrying a German National and want to be able to live housing with her. However I will ets in just under a year. Will we be eligible to get any on or off post housing? Does being married to a German National allow me to extend longer in Germany even if I am almost done with my 3 year tour?

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Nov 8 at 2020 7:51 PM

2020-11-08T19:51:33-05:00

You need to get with your career counselor ASAP and see what options are available. The sooner the better.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Nov 8 at 2020 7:53 PM

2020-11-08T19:53:44-05:00

Being married to a foreign national does not change how the Army assigns you. In fact, it will make investigations much longer.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Nov 8 at 2020 8:05 PM

2020-11-08T20:05:22-05:00

- housing: just as eligible as anyone else that has dependents
- Foriegn Service Tour Extension: nothing special about marrying a local national. You would need to extend your enlistment to do an extension request. If you meet the time requirement To PCS, you can just as easily PCS.
- Go talk to the reenlistment NCO to see what options there are.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 8 at 2020 8:44 PM

2020-11-08T20:44:57-05:00

No it does not. In fact, if you had longer in the Army you would be sent back to the states without your foreign national spouse.

You can extend, or at least may be able to extend, if you have not been placed on assignment. OCONUS stabilizations have to be sent to your MACOM, in this case USAEUR, to determine the strengths of the MOS in your location. So, you might be able to extend your DEROS six months by extending your ETS a year. Or you could reenlist for 2 or 3 years and extend your DEROS 9 or 18 months, respectively, giving you enough time to get a green card and gain command sponsorship for your spouse.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 9 at 2020 1:28 PM

2020-11-09T13:28:02-05:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member … you have to get Command Approval for your Spouse... speak with your Personnel Office or S1/G1 to see what forms are required to get housing/off-post housing approved. If you still have one year left on your tour, there probably is time for you to "extend" in Theater. See your reenlistment NCO for more details about extending/re-enlisting for Germany.

Hopefully, you had already informed your unit Commanders (Company and BN) about your foreign national spouse. If not you need to do this ASAP & also inform your unit Security Officer/S-2 about your foreign contacts (family members) so your file can be updated. That way if you have to undergo a Security Re-investigation, everything will already be in your file.